[The blogger] had faced up to six years in prison. His trial was moved from Chicago to Brooklyn, where the case twice ended in mistrials after jurors deadlocked. In addition to his statements [that the Ob/Gyns deserve to be killed, the blogger] posted photographs, phone numbers, work addresses, and room numbers for the three [Ob/Gyns].

“The [medical] system simply could not function if an individual’s efforts to intimidate a [physician] through threats of violence were protected from prosecution and punishment,” Patrick Fitzgerald, the US attorney in Chicago, said in a statement.

“We live in a system where [physicians] should be able to do their jobs and not have to look over their shoulders,” he added.